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Mo(w)NoBee

Just sharing an idea:

4 weeks after installing a 3# package in my TBH the population grows quite nicely.
I still cannot afford to loose a single bee to the mower.
This low-tech 'implement' cost nothing to build, but its impact is priceless - at least to a new and most passionate beek

Re: Mo(w)NoBee

Originally Posted by NasalSponge

Why would you mow your bees forage??

Mainly for agricultural reasons (improving pasture quality on the organic homestead).
Whereas I let the clover bloom for extended periods (for the bees and other fellow pollinators), nectar/pollen production of clover declines after torrential rains (it 'washes out') - the preferred option is then to cut it once and let the clover regenerate towards a new bloom.
I do, however, not mow the entire area, but apply some rotation principle so that there is always about 2 acres in full bloom. That should suffice for my start-up hive, I guess. And right now, the ladies prefer other crops (such as the flowering corn) anyway.